Wilhelm Posted July 9 Report Posted July 9 Hello dear members of Nihonto Message Board, I am quite new to nihonto collecting and in search to purchase my first antique nihonto. Just recently I stumbled upon one sword which I increadibly like, however, I have some concerns regarding buying one on Ebay, and the sword itself. As much as I have researched and dug information about Japanese swords, the one I really like looks genuin to me, but the price seems not that high as I would expect for such an old one (I appologise in advance if some of my words could be foolish, or stupid, as I'm only entering this sphere). I already saw one topic about this seller here at Nihonto Message Board, and from what I have read the only thing I understood is the swords he sells are overpriced and, most likely, he just re-sells them(the discussion dates to 2017). But, anyway, I wanted to hear some thoughts as of nowadays, maybe something has changed. Below I attach the link to the nihonto I'd like to acquire. https://www.ebay.com/itm/267287151199 (Katana Japanese antique sword 72.8cm blade Hizen koku Tadayoshi 1601 Koshirae) Kindest Regards, Willi Quote
nulldevice Posted July 9 Report Posted July 9 That blade is going to be gimei (false inscription). There are a number of smiths that signed Hizen Tadayoshi and they are very collectable swords. This is claiming to be the 1st gen which is a huge red flag without papers and real 1st gen Tadayoshi blades will go for 5-10x what this is listed for. You should avoid any blades as a beginner that don't come with modern NBTHK papers authenticating the signatures. You could get a much nicer blade for $5500 with a legitimate signature. I would continue to advise you to avoid this seller and probably eBay and auction sites in general as 99% of the blades on there are going to be un-papered and gimei if signed. That's not to say they're not real antique swords, but oftentimes they are lower quality swords with a fake inscription put on them trying to get more money out of the sword than it would ever be worth. Not to mention the sword listed is not in a great polish and is quite scratched. The tang (nakago) also looks to have been cleaned at some point if the lighting isn't deceiving me which is another big red flag and detractor from any old sword. 2 Quote
Wilhelm Posted July 9 Author Report Posted July 9 Okay, thank you very much, it helps a lot! In this case, would you know by any chance any reliable dealers or websites to look for antique nihonto? And also, If I look for a mumei sword, for instance, should I also aim at the one which goes only with NBTHK, or I could go without the certificate (if of course the dealer is reliable) ? Quote
Schneeds Posted July 9 Report Posted July 9 There are a large number of reputable sellers listed under the Info/Links section on the menu. Also check the members For Sale section here. Lots of good blades to be found there, and there have been some excellent deals lately. 1 Quote
DirkO Posted July 9 Report Posted July 9 Also if you have an idea about what you're looking to buy - you can always post in the 'wanted to buy' section. It's often easier doing deals 1 on 1 with people. Obviously you need to validate if the price is acceptable, but you need to do that with shops just the same. And shops usually have a high markup. In any case you've come to the right place. This is the biggest online nihonto forum and a lot of people here are very helpful. You'll get the odd remark every now and then, but please try to see past that, at heart we're a friendly bunch. If you don't know that much about nihonto and you are a bit concerned about resell value, I would opt for NBTHK papers. That will give you some reassurance about authenticity. The bigger the nametag without papers, the larger the chance it's not what it's portraying to be. 2 Quote
Franco Posted July 9 Report Posted July 9 1. Buy books. There are plenty of threads about which books to buy (use NMB search). Markus Sesko has translated a great deal of info, take advantage. 2. Study Japanese-nihonto history. A must for any serious collector. 3. Write out and ID your collecting objectives. What makes a sword collectible? What is kantei? According to Sato sensei what is the 2nd step in kantei? 4. Join study groups. Attend sword shows. Meet dealers. 5. "Don't mistake temptation for opportunity" Good luck. 2 Quote
Grey Doffin Posted July 9 Report Posted July 9 Hi Willi, Don't be in a hurry to buy; good swords will always be available and the more you know before you buy the happier you will be when you do. If you insist on purchasing a sword as a beginner you need an unusually honest dealer. Grey 5 Quote
Jacques Posted July 9 Report Posted July 9 Spend some time looking at as many blades as you can, and once you've had a few dozen in your hands, you'll start to get an idea of what a nihonto is. Being in a hurry is the worst thing of all. 1 Quote
Rawa Posted July 9 Report Posted July 9 Avoid this seller! He offers juyo with hagire claiming that no sword with hagire would get juyo Crazy stuff. Even if pappers are legitimate after submission many things can happen. https://ebay.us/m/oX7GAc Summit of ebay seller. Call yourself gallery/museum and offer overpriced "museum class" items. 1 Quote
dimitri Posted July 12 Report Posted July 12 I had a long discussion with him about a Kanabo katana. In the end, I passed on it; the blade was too damaged, and I preferred to buy a nihonto on the forum. Thanks to some forum members for making me aware of my future mistake. In quotes, more security on the listing, there's transparency with the seller, and you pay for a better blade at the same price. Quote
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